Chicago is a great place for seeing the musicals of Flaherty and Ahrens. In just the last few years, we've had local productions of
Ragtime, Seussical, My Favorite Year, A Man of No
Importance and just last spring, Porchlight Theatre's innovative take
on Once on This Island. Bohemian got the pair's most recent effort,
The Glorious Ones, which opened at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse
Theater just two years ago. It's a must for fans of that writing pair, but
not only for fans. The ninety-minute intermissionless musical is a bright,
fast-paced and funny affair that ought to entertain all but the most
prudish audiences.

The Glorious Ones is a study of the dramatic form of commedia
dell'arte, popular in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries, and is
told in that form. Ouch! That already sounds much more academic and artsy
than the show is. For those unfamiliar with commedia dell'arte (like me),
the show explains it well enough. It was improvised comedy for the massesphysical, sexual and graphicperformed in public squares for free, though the hat was passed to compensate the performers. The form is
credited as the first improvisation (the performers worked from a plotline
and made up dialogue as physical business as they performed) and a
precursor of slapstick and other physical comedy. The sexual content in
this show will offend few and there's only enough of it to suggest what
commedia dell'arte performers would do. Lynn Ahrens' book for The
Glorious Ones is based on a novel by Francine Prose, a fictional
account of the adventures of the real-life commedia actor-manager Flaminio
Scala and his troupe. It takes a while to orient oneself to the
conventions of the show, but after that acclimation, it's a breezy and
good time.

More importantly, BoHo's Glorious Ones is an opportunity to
enjoy seven quite terrific performers. Courtney Crouse and Dana Tretta are
probably the best known to local audiences. Mr. Crouse gained attention
and acclaim in the title roles of Jekyll and Hyde for BoHo a while back.
He's not the central figure herethat would be Eric Damon Smith as
Flaminiobut Crouse has ample opportunity to use his powerful baritone
and do some gymnastics as the romantic lead, Francesco. Ms. Tretta, so
effective in generating pathos as the heroine of Bailiwick's Hunchback
of Notre Dame and Theo Ubique's Cabaret, gets to play entirely
for laughs here as the midget Armanda, even imitating a little dog at one
point.

Smith has a commanding presence that makes him a believable Flaminiocharismatic, egotistical and utterly committed to the commedia. His wife Columbina is played by Danni Smith and, while she like Mr. Smith is cast
older than her real age, she conveys a maturity that makes her believable
in the part. Katie Siri is Isabella, the younger performer who
eventually replaces Isabella as the romantic lead and is lovably goofy.
Tom Weber is Pantalone, the performer-tailor of the group who carries a
torch for her, but doesn't lose his sense of humor over it. John Taflan is
charming and funny as the Dottore, a stock character of commedia
dell-arte.

Stephen M. Genovese directed and designed the set, a platform of wooden
planks as might have been used been used by the troupe, and a series of
painted backdrops. His cast, wardrobed in simple but colorful period
costumes designed by Theresa Ham, is in constant motion, making the stage
seem much bigger than it actually is. I'd have to guess his direction gets
everything out of this piece that there to be gotten. Ahrens' book doesn't
stop too long into between laughs to involve us too deeply in the
characters. I suppose she might have made it a longer show, with more
plot, but doing so would have lost the sense of the show as commedia
dell'arte itself. Her lyrics, as always, have heart and wit. Flaherty's
fans might admit he's written better scores, but they'll enjoy his
distinctive style here, and non-fans won't even think to compare this
score to his work on Ragtime or Island. Music director/conductor Nick Sula and cast give the music a full-bodied reading of it.

The Glorious Ones may be a minor work in the Flaherty and Ahrens
canon, but it's a glorious and perfectly polished showcase for Genovese
and his cast.

The Glorious Ones will be performed at the BoHo Theatre, 7016 N.
Glenwood, Chicago, through Saturday, November 21, 2009. Performances are
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. For
tickets, call the box office at 866-811-4111.